Atlantica Akteon

Just spent 9 days at this hotel, and it lived up to what I had read for the most part.

To start we arrived a day late due to Easyjet cancelling our flight when we got to boarding so had to arrange our own flights the next day. We had joined a Facebook group for the hotel beforehand, and asked for the best way to get to the hotel, jumped in a taxi at the airport. It was about 11.30pm, cost €80 and got us there in about 25 minutes.

On arriving, the fact we were a day late wasn't a problem for the reception staff, our rooms were ready for us. There were snack plates available with juice, and we were able to get a drink from the bar before it closed. The rooms are all in 2 storey blocks, we were in block 45 which was at the back of the complex next to the kids club.

Rooms - We found the beds surprisingly comfortable although they are on wheels so the frames move every time you do! We were in a studio room with sofa bed, it had a small kitchenette and a mini fridge. The water was refreshed every time we used it, there were tea and coffee sachets and a kettle available. The balcony was comfortable enough, we had a ground floor room which meant it didn't have the glass panes around the outside, I personally would have preferred to have these but it didn't affect anything, purely a personal preference. We also had a view of the kids club play park, the kids club was very quiet so there was no noise issues. We went with another family and they had a first floor room right above us.

If you sat on the balcony in an evening you could hear the entertainment from the next door hotel but as soon as you shut the door it was barely heard. The rooms were cleaned everyday, beds made etc. Our only issue with the rooms cleaning was that the floors weren't swept, but it certainly wasn't a deal breaker.

Pool - The pool at the hotel was a big highlight for us, it's sloped so we were able to be in the shallower end with the kids (6 & 9yr old). There were always sunbeds available, the ones at the pool edge were quick to go in a morning, there were the usual people putting towels on the beds, but there was a large grassed area that had a ton of beds and we never had an issue at all. There was a corner full of inflatables people had left.

The pool bar staff were always helpful and there were plenty of them - 2 on the bar, 1 on the snack bar and usually 1 glass collecting too. The snack bar was available 10.30-5.30 and served a fairly good selection - burgers, nuggets, chips, mini donuts, salads, jelly and ice creams. The all inclusive included local beer and spirits as well as soft drinks and slushies.

Restaurant - The restaurant was absolutely fantastic. I have coeliac disease so need to be gluten free, in the past I've struggled on holiday and it's felt like having dietary needs is a massive inconvenience for the hotel but that's definitely not the case here. I'd emailed the hotel beforehand, when we arrived I had to sign a waiver listing what I wasn't allowed, by the time I went to the restaurant the next morning the door staff had it noted I had an allergy. Every time I went to the restaurant, they asked if I would like the chef to walk me round, although everything was also clearly labelled with the major allergens. Nothing was too much trouble for them gluten free wise, they had pasta, pizzas, pancakes, bread, chips and desserts all available daily, I just had to request them. For the rest of our group they also found the food to be really good, they had a good selection of meats everyday along with some kind of rice, chips, veg, soup, bread. There was a kids corner, fruit, salads and cheeses and also a huge selection of desserts.

Cleanliness - The floors not being swept in the rooms was definitely an anomaly as the rest of the hotel was thoroughly cleaned pretty much continuously. We never found the public toilets a mess or sticky tables, the bins around the pool were emptied every couple of hours, even the road outside the reception was mopped everyday.

Location - The location wasn't amazing with this hotel, it is a fair distance from anything 'touristy' but it wasn't completely in the middle of nowhere. There was a couple of supermarkets, 1 or 2 bars/restaurants, a pharmacy and a small rocky beach all within 15 minute walk of the hotel. if you went an extra 10 minutes you got to a slightly less stony beach with beds you could hire, but it wasn't the greatest beach. But we weren't fussed about that, we only spent 1 morning there.

If you wanted to go into town or visiting anywhere, there was a bus stop 5/10 minute walk from the hotel but we used taxis as it was easier with the kids. Taxi wise, it was a little expensive - but the hotel seem to have a contract with a local firm and they do return journey vouchers slightly cheaper - a return journey to the harbour for 6 people was €38

We visited the waterpark one day, this was an extremely fun day, albeit a little expensive, but we had anticipated that. A return taxi was €48 and then we had a 20% voucher but even with that it was still almost €80 for 3 of us to get in. My little boy also got bitten about 15 times by what I can only assume was mosquitos whilst there!

Entertainment - The entertainment definitely let the hotel down, there was a program everyday with things such as waterpolo and mini disco, but the entertainment team was very small and it felt like there wasn't a huge amount of enthusiasm. We had a 6yr old who has autism with us, they were looking forward to some of the activities listed for the kids club, but because there were only 1 or 2 kid in kids club, they often just fell through but there wasn't any communication to the guests about the changes and she struggled with this. But that being said, the kids did enjoy the parrot show on the Sunday night and we did enjoy the quizzes.

Last overview is that we really enjoyed this hotel and have said we would definitely consider going back - but we would maybe do it in May or October when it's slightly less hot and we're wanting to go somewhere to just laze and not do much.

I would like to specifically mention the guest relations staff Ildiko, she honestly helped massively in making our stay smooth, mostly restaurant wise but there wasn't a day that she didn't come say hi, ask how our day was and if the children were having fun, she is honestly a big credit to the hotel!

Booked this as a last minute getaway with the kids.

Location wise it’s about 20-30mins direct transfer from the airport but it is slightly secluded from any local attractions.

First impression was a nice and clean hotel reception with friendly staff given the late hour of the night we arrived. Pleased with the late night snack offered to us which was thoughtful.

Rooms were basic and clean with good air conditioning. Seemed to be slightly setup as an apartment rather than a hotel room but no complaints from me.

The grounds of the resort were kept nice and clean including the pool area. Pool seemed to be cleaned every morning which was good to see. There were 2 other pools for toddlers and small kids aswell as indoor pool. Pool bar during day was very well stocked with huge variety of food and snacks and the bar had a good selection to drinks and cocktails including the slushie machine. All were free as we were all inclusive. Only thing I will say is some cocktails were perhaps made with a bit too much alcohol but who cares. Plenty of loungers were available but you still had to be up early if you wanted a lounger directly next to the pool but still there was loads behind on the grass available for the serious sun bathers.

Restaurant had a different theme of food every night during our 7 night stay and although it was smaller than most other hotel restaurants I have been in, I will say the selection was great and cooked well. We never got bored of the breakfast, lunch or dinner.

This hotel had the smallest entertainment team I have ever seen with only 3 members but they done great all day and night keeping adults and kids entertained.

All in all it was great choice. If you looking for somewhere that you want to just relax and not bother going out on excursions and etc then this is a great stay.

Only downsides were the delivery trucks disturbing our sleep in the morning with noises which was not pleasant. Towards the end of our holiday we were told the pool closed early that evening due to an accident from the scuba experience been demonstrated in the pool. Perhaps it might be an idea for management to reconsider this.